Pop duo Erasure have mined Hollywood's classic black and white monster movies for their new Halloween video for the single Dead of Night. Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff and their mummies, Draculas, werewolves and Frankensteins feature prominently in the promo.

Thanksgiving is on Thursday, meaning the forthcoming episodes of your favorite shows will be overwhelmingly holiday-themed. In the meantime, here's what you can expect to see on the tube this week.
CBS
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole ChristmasWatching the original Boris Karloff-narrated Grinch film during the holidays is about as American as Thanksgiving turkey and the requisite over-eating (U.S.A.!). And if by "original" Grinch film, you think I'm referring to Ron Howard's bizarre 2000 live action movie starring Jim Carrey, well then, shame on you. How the Grinch Stole Christmas airs Friday, November 29 at 8 PM ET on ABC.
New GirlOn this Thanksgiving-themed episode of New Girl, Jess and the gang embark on a camping trip to celebrate the holiday. That's right, only in the surreal world of LA can a bunch of twentysomething SoCal hipsters eat their cranberry logs and Stove Top stuffing outdoors in the middle of November. Must be nice. New Girl airs Tuesday at 8 PM ET on Fox.
Tosh.OAs a comic, Daniel Tosh is known for his borderline-offensive style of comedy – which makes him a perfect candidate to host his very own YouTube clips show on Comedy Central, right? Of course, Tosh.O's gross-out videos may be too provocative for some folks (few can find the humor in a giant pus-filled growth being lanced off a man's back). But then you can just as easily watch reruns of The Andy Griffith Show on TV Land. I hear they're really swell. New episodes of Tosh.O air Tuesdays at 7 PM ET on Comedy Central.
Ancient AliensWere the pyramids designed by beings from another world? Was Stonehenge the work of interplanetary visitors? Did the lost city of Atlantis really exist? These questions and more have been presented (albeit never answered) on six seasons and counting of the History Channel's widely popular conspiracy show, Ancient Aliens. New episodes air Friday at 7 PM ET on H2.
TremeWhat happened to Treme? For a short while, it was hailed as David Simon's widely anticipated follow-up to The Wire. And then just like that, people stopped talking about it. Well the show never went anywhere, it's just that TV finally caught up with Simon, with critically-acclaimed series like Breaking Bad and Homeland basically picking up where The Wire left off. That said, should you be watching the fourth and final season of Treme when it debuts this Sunday on HBO. In a word: Yes!
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We all have regrets. Misguided teen-year antics, toxic romances, ill-conceived business ventures. And for the vast majority of humans plagued with crippling remorse, there is very little to be done in the vein of correcting old mistakes. Accepting our own personal histories and moving on with dignity is generally the best course of action. But Universal Pictures is opting instead to take a mulligan on one of its less appreciated ventures: The Hollywood Reporter reports that the studio is carrying forth with a second go at Dr. Seuss' classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this time as an animated movie.
Following a string of varyingly successful Seuss remakes, from its disappointing Jim Carrey-starring Grinch in 2000 up to last year's equally groan-inspiring The Lorax, Universal is handing the holiday property to first-time director Peter Candeland and Lorax and Horton Hears a Who! producer Chris Meledandri, with Seuss' widow Audrey Geisel on board as EP.
RELATED: Celebrating Dr. Seuss' Most Iconic Works
When adapting certain pieces of material, expansion and invention can be encouraged. People tend to be intrigued by new twists on old favorites; modernization and deconstruction can apply outdated classics to our present psychology, with a fresh voice. But when it comes to Dr. Seuss, fans seem to maintain the mindset of preservation.
People were miffed by the liberties taken with Carrey's Grinch and 2012's Lorax (the public's issues with Mike Myers' The Cat in the Hat, however, were more about the fact that it was just plain abysmal). A more faithful rendition of the story, in animated form, is likely to satisfy. Progress and creation are almost universally positive endeavors, but the attitude on Seuss seems to be that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
That said, is the best we can hope for simply a regurgitation of the revered animated Grinch film already at our disposal (the 1966 Boris Karloff special)? Or is there a happy medium between Universal's past attempts and a carbon copy of the well aged cartoon stretched out over 90 minutes?
The adaptation of near sacred writing like Seuss' Grinch will prove a tricky task for Universal and Candeland. But working in their favor is the fact that, no matter how ill-fated a project this might be, the original story is just whimsical enough to make all fans think, "Maybe this one will work!"
[Photo Credit: Random House]
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No mad scientist is an island, as the story of Dr. Frankenstein proves. But the version of Mary Shelley's character played by David Anders on Once Upon a Time had a greater motivation to create life than just to stave off loneliness. The monster whom Frankie reanimated on the ABC hit is in fact...his brother, Gerhardt.
Well, folks, this is the time to scream, "It's alive!" because Hollywood.com has just learned that journeyman TV actor Chad Michael Collins will be playing Dr. Frankenstein's brother, now a scarred, bolt-necked monster who was only revived, after several attempts, when given a heart from Fairy Tale Land's evil queen. Collins' résumé has been stacked with a flurry of guest parts the past few years on shows like Greek, Enlightened, and most recently, Last Resort.
His turn as Dr. Frankenstein's monster will come later this season, around episode 14. And if Once Upon a Time's previous Frankenstein episode is any indication, Collins' debut will most likely be shot in black-and-white for full 1930s Universal horror-movie effect. He'll also be playing the brother of Frankie's Storybrooke equivalent, Dr. Whale (named after the director of the original Boris Karloff-starring Frankenstein, James Whale), but only in flashbacks.
Reporting by Leanne Aguilera
[Photo Credit: Deb Vanceiette]
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The Dark Knight star has signed up to appear in I, Frankenstein, a new film based on Underworld co-creator Kevin Grevioux's graphic novel of the same name, which sees Shelley's monster having survived into the present day.
The movie's screenwriter and director, Stuart Beattie, tells Variety, "Mary Shelley's story is about the creation of the first human being. This is the story about that being becoming human."
Eckhart follows in the footsteps of Hollywood's most famous Frankenstein's monster, Boris Karloff, and Robert De Niro, who played the creature in 1994 film Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Filming of I, Frankenstein is due to begin in January (12) in Australia.

A movie buff has splashed out a record $690,000 on an original poster promoting Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi classic Metropolis.
An unnamed American collector bought the poster designed by Heinz Schilz-Neudamm, which is one of only four known copies, from London's Reel Poster Gallery.
Tony Nourmand, co-owner of the Reel Poster Gallery, says, "It's a landmark design. Most of the posters would have been hung on billboards and then thrown away. This one was in absolutely pristine condition and was obviously never used."
The sale represents the highest sum of money paid for a poster of any description—the previous record buy was a poster for Boris Karloff's 1932 movie The Mummy, which fetched $452,000 at an auction.
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About 10 years ago the residents of Springwood ended Freddy Krueger's legendary reign of terror by drugging the town's teens to prevent them from dreaming and locking away the ones who wouldn't forget the master of nightmares. But as Freddy points out "being forgotten was a bitch." In order to emerge from his purgatory Freddy needs to instill fear back on the 1400 block of Elm Street--and he thinks he has found his ticket with the hockey-mask-wearing serial killer Jason Voorhees. Taking the form of Jason's dead mother Freddy invades Jason's dreams and instructs him to leave Crystal Lake and head to Elm Street to do some slaughtering. The plan actually works and as the town becomes fearful once more Freddy is able to prey on their vulnerability. But whom will Freddy torment if Jason slashes all the teens in town? As advertised by the studio the two '80s horror icons eventually engage in the ultimate showdown. Moviegoers however will have to check out the movie to find out who wins the face-off but the question is is it worth it? If you are not a fan of either franchise be prepared to sit through a shoddy story that is missing the tension and buildup so prevalent in Wes Craven's original 1984 thriller A Nightmare on Elm Street. If you are devotee the melding of Freddy and Jason on the big screen is a pretty delicious treat but the battle's outcome may ultimately frustrate fans.
Almost 20 years ago Robert Englund gained cult status as Freddy Krueger--a horror icon as recognizable as Boris Karloff's Frankenstein. Now Englund's name has become so synonymous with this character that replacing him would be catastrophic--and with good reason; this character actor is cause enough to go see the Freddy vs. Jason. This is Englund's eighth time going under the putty knife and he appears to still be having a blast playing Freddy. Although the character's physical appearance hasn't changed a bit (he still wears that skanky striped sweater and his razor fingers are still charmingly low-tech) but his quips are more sarcastic than ever. "What's the matter Lori " the dream-crasher taunts his victim. "Miss your wake-up call?" Former stunt performer Ken Kirzinger portrays Freddy's challenger Friday the 13th's Jason Vorhees. Different actors portrayed the character in 6 of the 10 installments of the Friday series; the last four sequels starred Kane Hodder. But since Jason sports a hockey mask and doesn't talk he doesn't have many personality traits to note--unless you count his slashing technique. So while Kirzinger is a convincing enough Jason it's safe to assume this stunt man was probably hired more for his ability to crash through glass and go up like a human torch rather for any likeness to Jason.
Director Ronny Yu who helmed the psycho doll thriller Bride of Chucky in 1998 is no stranger to the horror genre. Freddy vs. Jason is well done especially Yu's subtle transitions from the characters' realities to dreamland. This is where the director manages to inject a bit of tension into the film by playing mind games with the audience: When a character heads towards imminent danger the audience is never sure if they have fallen asleep and are dreaming or if what is happening is real--until a visual clue pops up like a bleating goat appearing where it clearly doesn't belong. Yu does this with a sense of humor and a bit of '80s nostalgia which is sure to please connoisseurs of the franchise. But the problem with Freddy vs. Jason is that it is so busy not taking itself too seriously that it fails to instill fear. Screenwriters Damian Shanning and Mark Swift had the thorny task of blending Freddy's supernatural and somewhat intellectually superior storylines with Jason's thuggish slasher plots and the result is story that leans more towards the brutish. The buildup and tension that made Nightmare on Elm Street so eccentrically frightening is gone and Freddy is brought down to Jason's level forced to fight physically rather than use his manipulative mind power. Watching the two malevolent entities hacking away at each other Freddy and Jason have almost been reduced to standing jokes.

Moviegoers celebrated "Mummy"'s Day this weekend with a record setting $70 million opening.
Universal's PG-13 rated adventure sequel The Mummy Returns kicked off Hollywood's pre-summer season with a staggering ESTIMATED $70.11 million at 3,104 theaters ($20,615 per theater). Mummy accounted for about 65% of the weekend's total key films gross of $107.5 million.
Mummy is well on its way to what looks like it could be a $200 million gross in domestic theaters. That would be about $45 million more than the first Mummy did domestically in 1999.
Mummy goes into the record books as the biggest three day non-holiday opening ever, beating the record set by 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace with $64.81 million the weekend of May 21-23, 1999, at 2,970 theaters ($21,822 per theater). Having opened on a Wednesday, Phantom Menace's cume for five days was $105.7 million.
The 1999 original The Mummy opened to $43.4 million the weekend of May 7-9 at 3,209 theaters ($13,515 per theater). In its second weekend it fell 43% to $24.86 million at 3,226 theaters ($7,705 per theater). Its cume after 10 days was $80.6 million. Mummy went on to do $155.2 million domestically and $258.1 million internationally for a worldwide total of $413.3 million. In its third weekend, Mummy was knocked down to second place by the blockbuster arrival of Phantom Menace.
Mummy Returns's average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide or limited release this weekend.
Written and directed by Stephen Sommers, Mummy stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. It also features an appearance by wrestling star The Rock. The Alphaville Production was produced by James Jacks and Sean Daniel and executive produced by Bob Ducsay and Don Zepfel.
"Except for Lost World, which was a holiday weekend, it's the greatest opening ever," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. Universal's The Lost World: Jurassic Park opened in 1997 to $74.7 million for the three day weekend portion of the four day Memorial Day holiday (May 23-26) weekend.
"What we did was we went into the history of Universal and we created a franchise that we truly believed could dominate the marketplace," Rocco explained. "We took a piece of Universal's history and created an unbelievable franchise. With appropriate sequel management, we brought back the cast, we brought back the director, we managed the cost and we had a great story. That's what made this so unique.
"Our exit polls are 90% in the Top Two Boxes (excellent and very good) and a 70% Definite Recommend. That's huge."
The film's PG-13 rating, she added, "broadened the base. Because of the fact that it's a bit fantasy, parents and kids alike can enjoy it. There's no blood. It's part of comic book fantasy. This is a picture that's an absolute thrill ride that will certainly have tons of repeat business."
Universal's 1932 classic The Mummy, directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff, was a horror film. So were the studio's continuation of the Mummy story in the 1940s in such films as The Mummy's Hand, The Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Ghost and The Mummy's Curse.
"They were horror films," Rocco noted. "That's what's so unique about how we built the franchise. We took a piece of the history and created this whole new thing."
Assessing the film's impact in the marketplace, Rocco observed, "We kicked off summer early. We reinvigorated the marketplace to record breaking numbers (of about $107.5 million for key films). Last year was a record (for this weekend) of $82.2 million. We also hold the biggest Friday opening with $23.4 million and the biggest Saturday opening with $26.8 million." Those are the biggest ever for any Friday or Saturday, she said, adding that "Lost World did $21.9 million on Friday."
Warner Bros. and Franchise Pictures' PG-13 rated action drama Driven fell one notch in its second week to a slower ESTIMATED $6.06 million (-50%) at 2,905 theaters (theater count unchanged; $2,084 per theater). Its cume is approximately $21.6 million.
Directed by Renny Harlin, Driven stars Sylvester Stallone. It was produced by Elie Samaha, Stallone and Harlin and written by Stallone.
Bridget Jones's Diary, the R rated romantic comedy co-financed by Miramax Films, Universal Pictures and StudioCanal and produced by Britain's Working Title, slid one peg to third place in its fourth week with a still attractive ESTIMATED $6.0 million (-20%) at 2,547 theaters (+15 theaters; $2,355 per theater). Its cume is approximately $44.7 million, heading for $55-60 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Sharon Maguire, Bridget stars Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant.
Having only cost about $25 million to produce, Bridget will be profitable for its financing partners.
Dimension's PG rated family appeal thriller Spy Kids fell one rung to fourth place in its sixth week with a less playful ESTIMATED $4.0 million (-31%) at 2,815 theaters (-290 theaters; $1,420 per theater). Its cume is approximately $98.5 million, heading for $105-110 million in domestic theaters.
"It should hit $100 million by next weekend," Miramax senior vice president, marketing David Kaminow said Sunday morning.
With a production cost of only $35 million, Spy Kidswill be very profitable for Dimension.
Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, Spy Kids stars Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino.
Paramount Pictures' R rated suspense thriller Along Came A Spider dropped one slot to fifth place in its fifth week with a quieter ESTIMATED $3.8 million (-32%) at 2,573 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,477 per theater). Its cume is approximately $60.0 million, heading for $65-70 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Lee Tamahori, Spider stars Morgan Freeman and Monica Potter.
"It's where we had it pretty much targeted," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning.
"I had it in the low $60 millions originally. I think it has a shot to get into the higher $60 millions (like) $67 or $68 million. If it continues to hang on at this level, it could get even closer to $70 million."
Spider is the prequel to the 1997 hit Kiss the Girls, which did $60.5 million in domestic theatrical release.
Paramount's PG rated sequel Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles skidded one rung to sixth place in its third week with a dull ESTIMATED $3.2 million (-31%) at 2,141 theaters (+17 theaters; $1,495 per theater). Its cume is approximately $18.0 million.
Directed by Simon Wincer, Crocodile stars Paul Hogan.
New Line Cinema's R rated drama Blow fell one step to seventh place in its fifth week with a quiet ESTIMATED $2.4 million (-28%) at 1,558 theaters (-155 theaters; $1,540 per theater). Its cume is approximately $44.2 million, heading for $50 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Ted Demme, Blow stars Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz.
Columbia Pictures PG-13 rated youth appeal comedy Joe Dirt, which was ninth last week, tied for eighth place in its fourth week with a slow ESTIMATED $1.5 million (-45%) at 1,783 theaters (-701 theaters; $841 per theater). Its cume is approximately $24.7 million.
Directed by Dennis Gordon, Joe stars David Spade.
Sony's Screen Gems division's R rated vampire tale The Forsaken, which was eighth last week, tied for eight place in its second week with a calm ESTIMATED $1.5 million (-50%) at 1,514 theaters (theater count unchanged; $991 per theater). Its cume is approximately $5.2 million.
Written and directed by J.S. Cardone, Forsaken stars Kerr Smith and Brendan Fehr.
There was a close race for tenth place based on studio ESTIMATES Sunday morning.
USA Films' R rated comedy drama One Night at McCool's, which was 11th last week, in its second week did a slow ESTIMATED $1.33 million (-47%) at 1,814 theaters (-4 theaters; $734 per theater). Its cume is approximately $4.7 million.
Directed by Harald Swart, McCool's stars Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, John Goodman, Paul Reiser and Michael Douglas.
New Line Cinema's R rated comedy drama Town &amp; Country, which was seventh last week, in its second week did a depressing ESTIMATED $1.3 million (-58%) at 2,222 theaters (theater count unchanged; $576 per theater). Its cume is approximately $5.2 million.
Directed by Peter Chelsom, Town stars Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Andie MacDowell, Garry Shandling, Jenna Elfman, Nastassja Kinski and Goldie Hawn.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of Universal's Pavilion of Women, arriving quietly to an ESTIMATED $0.016 million at 7 theaters ($2,312 per theater).
Directed by Yim Ho, Women stars Willem Dafoe and Luo Yan.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
Columbia held 766 national sneak previews Saturday night of its PG-13 rated pre-summer youth appeal adventure A Knight's Tale.
The studio said Sunday morning that the sneaks were 75% full and generated very encouraging exit polls. Those on hand scored the film 85% in the Top Two Boxes (excellent and very good) with an 80% Definite Recommend. Columbia said the audience was divided evenly between males and females and those under and over the age of 25.
Tale opens May 11 at 2,800-plus theaters.
Written and directed by Brian Helgeland, Tale stars Heath Ledger.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front, this weekend saw Newmarket's R rated film noir thriller Memento widen in its eighth week, still holding well with an ESTIMATED $1.29 million (+1%) at 410 theaters (+86 theaters; $3,140 per theater). Its cume is approximately $8.4 million.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, it stars Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano.
Columbia went wider with its R rated thriller The Tailor of Panama, continuing to hold well in its sixth week with an ESTIMATED $1.0 million (+7%) at 436 theaters (+77 theaters; $2,249 per theater). Its cume is approximately $9.4 million.
Directed by John Boorman, Tailor stars Pierce Brosnan and Geoffrey Rush.
Lions Gate Films' R rated drama Amores Perros went wider in its sixth week with a quiet ESTIMATED $0.3 million (-41%) at 184 theaters (+11 theaters; $1,610 per theater). Its cume is approximately $3.4 million.
Directed and produced by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Perros stars Emilio Echevarria and Gael Garcia Bernal.
Warner Bros.' PG-13 rated comedy The Dish added theaters in its eighth week, continuing to hold well with an ESTIMATED $0.16 million (+5%) at 82 theaters (+22 theaters; $1,951 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.3 million.
Directed by Rob Stich, The Dish stars Sam Neill and Kevin Harrington.
Miramax's R rated French thriller With a Friend Like Harry... continued to widen in its third week with a still encouraging ESTIMATED $0.16 million at 25 theaters (+13 theaters; $6,400 per theater). Its North American cume is approximately $0.6 million.
Harry is being released under Miramax's French film banner Miramax Zoe.
Directed by Dominik Moll, it stars Laurent Lucas, Sergi Lopez, Mathilde Seigner and Sophie Guillemin.
Artisan Entertainment's controversial unrated The Center of the World added theaters in its third week with an okay ESTIMATED $0.12 million at 32 theaters (+24 theaters; $3,885 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.3 million.
Directed by Wayne Wang, it stars Molly Parker and Peter Sarsgaard.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 -- took in approximately $107.46 million, up about 30.7% from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $82.22 million.
This weekend's key film gross was up about 71.67% from last weekend this year when key films did $62.60 million.
Last year, DreamWorks' opening week of Gladiator was first with $34.82 million at 2,938 theaters ($11,851 per theater); and Universal's third week of U-571 was second with $7.77 million at 2,701 theaters ($2,875 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $42.6 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $76.2 million.

It's shaping up as one of the greatest battles in the history of monster movies, right up there with "Frankenstein vs. the Wolf Man," "King Kong vs. Godzilla" and even the yet-unfilmed "Freddy vs. Jason." Coming soon to a courtroom near you (via Court TV, natch): "Forry vs. Ferry," with cameos by Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Hugh Hefner and others.
The "Forry" in question is Forrest J. Ackerman, founder of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and a guru to sci-fi and horror movie geeks all over the world (including Hollywood directors Joe Dante, Sam Raimi and Frank Darabont). "Ferry" is one Ray Ferry, the magazine's current publisher, and the target of a $1 million lawsuit in which Ackerman seeks to regain control of his creature-feature legacy.
"I hope future generations of fans will remember me as the preserver and promoter of the imagi-movie genre, and the original Famous Monsters of Filmland as the bible according to Saint Forry," the 83-year-old Ackerman tells Hollywood.com.
Famous Monsters of Filmland Ackerman produced Famous Monsters (or "FM" as readers know it) from 1958 to 1982. FM was the first magazine of its kind, a ritual read for lovers of horror galore -- from the good stuff (Karloff, Lugosi, Christopher Lee) to the bad (like "Reptilicus" and "The Hideous Sun Demon"). Every issue overflowed with huge photographs, and there was lots of cool stuff to buy (like monster masks and model kits) via old-school mail order. But what made it unique was Ackerman's inimitable, pun-prone prose. ("Hello boils and ghouls! I'm looking forryward to Mummorial Day! Hope your horrordays are everything you scream of!" Etc.)
Ferry, a filmmaker, photographer and Forry fan, revived the mag in 1993 and retained Ackerman as editor. The two men parted ways around 1995, with Ackerman exiting the magazine and Ferry continuing to publish it.
Now Ackerman says Ferry drove a Dracula-sized stake through his heart. Not only does Ackerman's suit say that he wasn't paid for work he did on the mag, it alleges that Ferry stole the monstermeister's vernacular, downplayed his role in producing the magazine and publicly demeaned his abilities as a writer and editor.
Forrest J. Ackerman (right) with Vincent Price To help defend his rightful place in horrordom, Ackerman plans to summon a few friends to the witness stand when the case goes to trial April 11 in a San Fernando Valley, Calif., court. Among them are authors King and Bradbury (both former clients from Ackerman's days as a literary agent), director John Landis ("Twilight Zone: The Movie"), Playboy mogul Hefner, Sara Karloff (daughter of Boris) and Gene Simmons, the blood-spitting, fire-breathing rocker from KISS.
A point of contention for the Ackerman camp is that, after all these years, FM still looks and reads pretty much the same as it did 30 years ago. The horror mogul says that his pen name ("Dr. Acula") and all the catchphrases he created -- like "Fang Mail," "You Axed For It!" and "Beast Witches" -- belong to him. But Ferry and his lawyer say it's a matter of intellectual property rights; since Ackerman created his "Forryisms" for FM, they remain property of the magazine and, therefore, they have the right to them -- and Ackerman doesn't.
"We think the complaint is preposterous," says Ferry's attorney, Thomas Brackey. "We try a lot of cases, and this one is really from left field."
As in any decent monster vs. monster movie, it's not always easy to tell the "good" creature from the "evil" one.
Brackey says his client never ripped off Ackerman, and there are canceled checks to prove it. Moreover, Ferry has filed a $25 million countersuit, alleging that Ackerman issued death threats, harassed him by posting a stir-up-the-fans message on the Internet and sent him hundreds of faxes at all hours. Ferry also says the windows of his home have been shot out.
"I don't think we're worried so much about Mr. Ackerman coming out and doing something [to Ferry], but he has a lot of supporters who are dedicated to his cause, and some of these guys are going around shooting out windows," Brackey says. "There's a little bit of a mob mentality out there in monster fandom."
Ackerman retorts: "I have never threatened Ferry over the Internet or anywhere, even verbally or mentally."
At the trial, Ferry plans to summon iconic science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison as his star witness. Ellison went to court last year seeking a restraining order against Ackerman, saying he was similarly harassed with faxes.
Ackerman, who coined the term "sci-fi" in the 1950s, is also one of the world's biggest collectors of sci-fi books, movie props and other memorabilia. He has an estimated 300,000 items (such as Lon Chaney's teeth and hat from 1927's "London After Midnight" and a vampire cape worn by Bela Lugosi), all housed at his creepy home, "The Ackermansion," in the Hollywood Hills.
The collection is also at issue in the lawsuit. Ackerman once gave Ferry the right to purchase part of it for a mere $2,500 after his own death, but now Ackerman wants to rescind that agreement so he'll be free to sell or donate his memorabilia.
Ackerman, who gives his version of events on his Web site (http://www.best.com/~4forry/), has solicited contributions from friends to help pay his legal bills, and some high-profile sci-fi aficionados have reportedly answered the call.
As John Landis once said: "It's amazing how many lives [Ackerman has] touched in his weird, bizarre way. He's a touchstone for all those crazy people out there."

Boris Karloff's daughter wants her "Mummy." Er, money.
Or, more specifically, Sara Karloff wants Universal Studios to pay up for allegedly reneging on a royalties deal for using her horror-icon dad's likeness in studio advertising and promotional materials for movies such as 1999's blockbuster remake "The Mummy."
According to Daily Variety, Karloff's lawsuit is seeking more than $10 million. According to the complaint, filed Thursday in Los Angeles, Sara Karloff and Universal spent months negotiating a royalty agreement. During the 1930s and '40s, her father starred in a number of horror pictures for Universal, and the studio wanted permission to use his likeness as the Frankenstein monster, as well as the Ardath Bey/Imhotep characters from "The Mummy."
But, according to Sara Karloff's suit, the studio pulled a fast one. It "tweaked" the Karloff characters and created a generic Frankenstein and Imhotep that looked a lot like Karloff in guise, but was different enough so that the studio didn't have to pay royalties to her.
Sara Karloff says that Universal only used actual images of Boris in its style guide, a catalog that advertises to third-party licensees the characters and images that are available. But anyone who ordered Frankenstein or Imhotep got the so-called phony version, thus the style guide was "the centerpiece of the bait and switch scheme," the lawsuit says.
Universal officials declined to comment, but Sara Karloff's attorney, Allan Browne, told Variety: "The suit was brought to stop the unsavory business practices of Universal. Universal owes a ton of money to Sara Karloff based upon Universal's wrongful use of Boris Karloff's image and likeness."
Boris Karloff died in 1969, and under state law, his daughter is the successor to all rights in his name and likeness for publicity purposes.
Sara Karloff has apparently been on Universal's case for a while. In a post found on the official Boris Karloff Home Page (www.pe.net/~karloff/), Sara Karloff wrote: "HELP! Does anyone know where I can find a copy of my father's contracts for 'Frankenstein', 'Bride of Frankenstein' and 'The Mummy'? If so, I only want to briefly review the terms of the contracts for clarification of certain 'ownership' claims made by Universal Studios."

Title

Played the Frankenstein monster for the third and final time in "Son of Frankenstein"

Joined Ray Brandon Players

Joined Harry St. Claire Players

Achieved star status with his appearance as the monster in James Whale's "Frankenstein"

Immigrated to Canada

Acted in final film, "The Curse of the Crimson Altar"

First starring role with spoken dialogue, "Mask of Fu Manchu", in the title role

Hosted TV suspense and mystery series, "Thriller"; also acted in a number of episodes

Enjoyed considerable Broadway success as the villainous Jonathan in the comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace"

Narrated and provided the voice of the Grinch for the Christmas TV favorite, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", based on the Dr. Suess story

Moved to Hollywood

Summary

Arguably Hollywood's most celebrated and enduring screen horror icon, Boris Karloff embodied legendary movie monsters and madmen in such films as "Frankenstein" (1931), "The Mummy" (1931), "The Mask of Fu Manchu" (1932), "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), "Isle of the Dead" (1945) and "The Body Snatcher" (1945) over the course of a four-decade career. He began as an obscure background player, essaying exotic types in silent films and serials until 1931, when his sympathetic turn as the Monster in "Frankenstein" made him an international star. For the next two decades, Karloff was the undisputed king of movie horror, while cultivating a lively presence in more dramatic and even comic fare on television and stage. He remained exceptionally popular into his seventh decade, especially among young viewers, who were entranced by his avuncular narration for "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas!" (CBS, 1966). A beloved figure both on and off-screen, Karloff's performances - both chilling and charming - remained the gold standard by which all subsequent horror actors were measured.